The present invention relates to a sheet metal repair method and a sheet metal repair tool for repairing a sheet metal of a damaged car body and the like. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a sheet-like member fixing device for positioning, supporting, and temporarily fixing a sheet-like member.
When a sheet metal of a car body and the like is damaged, a sheet metal repair method for removing a particular portion of the sheet metal including the damaged part and for bonding a repair member to the sheet metal in place of the removed portion has been often employed so far.
For example, when a car body 1 shown in FIG. 43 is damaged due to a car accident, a particular portion 4 of the body including a damaged part 2 was removed by cutting it along a line 3 and then a repair member 6 is bonded to the body 1 in place of the removed portion 5. Before bonding the repair member 6 to the body , a reinforcing member 7 is connected to the portion near the cut part of the body 1, and then the repair member 6 is bonded onto the member 7 by spot welding 8 and 9.
However, in such a sheet metal repair method, the reinforcing member 7 was indispensable, and therefore a repair process became complicated. In addition, the use of the repair member 7 increase the number of joint surfaces, which was a problem in terms of strength and corrosivity.
In a conventional method for repairing a sheet metal (sheet-like member) of a car body, a particular portion including a damaged part of a car body is removed and then a repair member is connected to the body in place of the removed portion. For example, as shown in FIG. 44, a repair member 502 is positioned on a sheet metal 501, and the repair member 502 is bonded to the body by spot welding and the like.
However, when the repair member 502 is bonded to the sheet metal by using such a method, the sheet metal 501 has to be supported by hand. Therefore, it has been desired that greater safety be secured. In order to position the repair member 502 by pressing it against the sheet metal 501, the repair member 502 had to be pushed outward by inserting hand into the space between the sheet metal 501 and an interior panel 503. For this reason, bonding of the member 502 to the sheet metal 501 involved great difficulties. In order to temporarily join the repair member 502 to the sheet metal 501 for spot welding, it was indispensable to use fasteners such as bolts and to insert hand into the space between the sheet metal 501 and the interior panel 503. Thus, temporarily joining involved great difficulties.
Accordingly, inventors of the present invention carried out intensive studies with an objective of providing a sheet metal repair method and a sheet metal repair tool having a sufficiently high bonding strength and resistance to corrosion without using any reinforcing member.
The inventors also carried out intensive studies with an objective of providing a sheet-like member fixing device capable of placing or temporarily fixing a sheet-like member such as a repair member in a particular position while holding it with ease and safety.
The inventors also carried out intensive studies with an objective of providing a sheet-like member fixing device capable of pushing a sheet-like member outward with ease and safety.
As the results of intensive studies to overcome the above difficulties, the inventors of the present invention have eventually attained the present invention.
Main point of a sheet metal repair method according to the present invention, in which a particular portion including a damaged part of a sheet metal is removed and a repair member is bonded to the sheet metal in place of the removed portion is: to bend a portion near the end part of the repair member which is larger in area than a gap formed by removing the particular portion or a portion near the end part of the sheet metal to which the repair member is bonded in accordance with the shape of the gap so as to form at least a first bent part; and to bond the repair member to the sheet metal in place of the removed portion.
Such a sheet metal repair method makes it possible to repair the sheet metal without using any reinforcing member by bending either a portion near the end part of the repair member or a portion near the end part of the sheet metal to which the repair member is bonded, or by bending both of them so that the repair member is shaped to fit with the gap.
Another main point of the sheet metal repair method according to the present invention is to form a second bent part by bending a portion nearer to the end part of the repair member or a portion nearer to the end part of the sheet metal in the direction opposite to the first bent part so as to bond the portion near the end of the repair member to the sheet metal.
In this sheet metal repair method, a repair member or a sheet metal is bent stepwise to form a first bent part and a second bent part which is bent in the direction opposite to the first bent part. While the end part of the repair member or of the sheet metal is fitted to the first and second bent parts of the sheet metal or of the repair member, the portion nearer to the end than the second bent part of the repair member or of the sheet metal is bonded to the sheet metal or the repair member, and thus the repair member is bonded flush with the sheet metal. The phrase xe2x80x9cthe end part of the repair member or the sheet metal is fitted to the first and second bent parts of the sheet metal or of the repair memberxe2x80x9d used herein means that the end part of the sheet metal which is not bent is fitted to the bent parts of the repair member, or that the end part of the repair member which is not bent is fitted to the bent parts of the sheet metal. The phrase xe2x80x9cthe portion near the end part of the repair member is bonded to the sheet metalxe2x80x9d used herein means that the portion near the end part of the repair member which is bent is bonded to the end part of the sheet metal which is not bent, or that the portion near the end part of the sheet metal which is bent is bonded to the end part of the repair member which is not bent.
Still another main point of the sheet metal repair method according to the present invention is to form the first and the second bent parts at one time with a sheet metal repair tool comprising a punch and a die which are shaped to fit with the first and the second bent parts.
In this sheet metal repair method, the first and the second bent parts are manually or automatically formed at one time by sandwiching the repair member between the punch and the die of the sheet metal repair tool.
A further main point of the sheet metal repair method according to the present invention is to bond a part of or a whole of joint surfaces of the repair member and the sheet metal by an adhesive agent, an adhesive agent and rivet, or a combination of an adhesive agent, rivet, and spot welding.
In this sheet metal repair method, the repair member is bonded to the sheet metal by welding, an adhesive agent, or a combination of welding and an adhesive agent.
A still further main point of the sheet metal repair method according to the present invention is to bend the portion near the end part of the repair member and/or the portion near the end part of the sheet metal to remove distortion on the portion near the end part before the repair member and the sheet metal are bonded together.
Another main point of the sheet metal repair method according to the present invention is to bend the portion near the end part of the repair member and/or the portion near the end part of the sheet metal so that the first bent part is curved.
A main point of a sheet metal repair tool according to the present invention, which is used in the sheet metal repair method, for removing a particular portion including a damaged part of a sheet metal and for bonding a repair member to the sheet metal in place of the removed portion is to comprise a punch and a die for forming at least a first bent part by bending the portion near the end part of the repair member and/or the portion near the end part of the sheet metal so that the repair member is bonded to the sheet metal in accordance with a shape of a gap formed by removing the particular portion.
Such sheet metal repair tool is used in the sheet metal repair method of the present invention, and makes it possible to repair the sheet metal by sandwiching the portion near the end of the repair member or of the sheet metal between the punch and the die to form bent parts and by bonding the repair member to the sheet metal in accordance with a shape of the gap without using any reinforcing member.
Another main point of the sheet metal repair tool according to the present invention is to form a second bent part by bending a portion nearer to the end than the first bent part in the direction opposite to the first bent part simultaneously with the formation of the first bent part.
Such sheet metal repair tool makes it possible to bond the repair member to the sheet metal in such a manner that the repair member is flush with the sheet metal, by forming the first bent part and the second bent part which is bent in the direction opposite to the first bent part and then by bonding the portion nearer to the end than the second bent part of the repair member or of the sheet metal to the sheet metal or the repair member.
Further main points of the sheet metal repair tool according to the present invention are; place the punch and the die on the point of action of a lever element having the point of application of force, the fulcrum, and the point of action; and to form at least the first bent part by bringing the punch and the die closer by the application of griping force or pushing force to the point of action.
Such sheet metal repair tool makes it possible to bend the portion near the end part of the repair member or of the sheet metal by the application of griping force or pushing force to the punch and the die, using the action of the lever element.
A still further main point of the sheet metal repair tool of the present invention is that the punch and the die each have a first bending edge and a second bending edge, and that the first bending edges of the punch and the die form the first bent part and the second bending edges form the second bent part.
Such sheet metal repair tool makes it possible to ensure the formation of the first bent part and the second bent part by using the first bending edges to form the first bent part and by using the second bending edges to form the second part. In addition, this tool also makes it possible to form the first bent part and the second bent part at predetermined angles by using the first bending edges and the second bending edges.
Another main point of the sheet metal repair tool according to the present invention is that the distance between the first bending edge and the second bending edge of the punch and the distance between the first bending edge and the second bending edge of the die are substantially same as the thickness of the repair member or the sheet metal.
In such sheet metal repair tool, the distance between the first bending edge and the second bending edge of the punch and the distance between the first bending edge and the second bending edge of the die are substantially same as the thickness of the repair member or the sheet metal, so that the difference in level between the first bent part and the second bent part becomes substantially same as the thickness of the repair member or the sheet metal. Therefore, this tool makes it possible to ensure that the repair member is bonded to the sheet metal so that it becomes flush with the sheet metal.
Still another main point of the sheet metal repair tool according to the present invention is that either the punch or the die or both of them has/have a tapered portion in a position where the first bent part is to be formed, so that the first bent part is bent curvedly by the tempered portion.
Main points of a sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention are: to comprise a rod-like male thread having a hook on its one end portion and a female thread into which the male thread is screwed; to tighten the female thread after passing the male thread through a hole of a sheet-like member; and to support the sheet-like member by sandwiching it between the hook and the female thread. The term xe2x80x9csheet-like memberxe2x80x9d used herein includes not only a sheet metal but also sheet-like resin, lumber, glass and the like.
Such sheet-like member fixing device is fixed to the sheet-like member, or the sheet-like member is fixed to the fixing device while the sheet-like member is supported by being sandwiched between the female thread and the hook, using holes formed in the sheet-like member. The hole can be formed in advance or it can be formed when the sheet-like member fixing device is used.
Another main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is to pass the male thread through the hole from its hook""s side.
In the sheet-like member fixing device of such a structure that the male thread is passed through the hole from its hook""s side, the hook is first inserted into the hole of a sheet-like member, and then the male thread is passed through the hole as a matter of course because the hook is part of the male thread.
Still another main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is that the hook is substantially square to the male thread.
In the sheet-like member fixing device of such a structure that the hook is substantially square to the male thread, the sheet-like member can be supported by sandwiching it between the hook and the female thread while the hook is in close contact with the back surface of the sheet-like member.
A further main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is that the male thread is fixed in the direction substantially perpendicular to the hook while the hook is brought in close contact with the surface of the sheet-like member.
Such sheet-like member fixing device can be easily supported by fixing the male thread in the direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet-like member while the sheet-like member is supported by being sandwiched between the hook and the female. In other words, when the sheet-like member fixing device is fixed to the sheet-like member, the sheet-like member fixing device is fixed in the direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet-like member.
Still another main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is that the hook points to one direction.
Since the hook does not branch off in various directions from the male thread but it points to one direction, the hook can be inserted into the hole while the sheet-like member fixing device is tilted against the sheet-like member. By a moving the device to the direction where the hook points, the hook can be easily locked in the sheet-like member. Furthermore, the sheet-like member fixing device can be easily inserted into the hole of the sheet-like member without getting stuck in the hole when the hook is inserted into the hole.
A further main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is that the edge of the hook fixed in the direction substantially perpendicular to the male thread is beveled.
In the sheet-like member fixing device, the edge of the hook is beveled to form a tapered tip. Therefore, the sheet-like member fixing device can be easily inserted into the hole of the sheet-like member even when the hole is small. In addition, when the sheet-like member is made of soft material, the hole is not necessarily formed in advance. In this case, the sheet-like member fixing device can be passed through the sheet-like member while piercing the member with the hook.
A still further main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is that a handle is provided to the other end of the male thread.
In such sheet-like material fixing device, a handle is provided to the other end of the device so that the sheet-like member can be supported by holding the device with hand or tool.
Another main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is that the handle is shaped like a ring.
Such sheet-like member fixing device can be easily supported by holding the ring-like handle. Furthermore, force can be easily applied to the sheet-like member by pulling out of the sheet-like member fixing device by putting a finger into the ring-like handle.
Still another main point of the sheet-like member fixing device according to the present invention is that the female thread can be screwed down by hand.
The female thread of such sheet-like member fixing device has wings that makes it easier to apply force, and therefore the female thread can be screwed down by hand.